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New Astell&Kern multi DAC

majingotan

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https://us.astellnkern.com/products/a-futura-se200?variant=34764518981790

One AKM vs 2 ESS

My first thought was that this was a good opportunity to compare DACs, but apparently there will be the confounding factor of independent amplification...
https://us.astellnkern.com/products/a-futura-se200?variant=34764518981790

Still, it could be fun. Not cheap fun though.

Curious if you can have both DACs active at the same time since my SP2000 has its balanced circuit disabled when it detects that there's a load in the unbalanced side. Both are active, you can easily perform an A/B with a switchbox between the two lineout outputs.
 
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PierreV

PierreV

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Curious if you can have both DACs active at the same time since my SP2000 has its balanced circuit disabled when it detects that there's a load in the unbalanced side. Both are active, you can easily perform an A/B with a switchbox between the two lineout outputs.

It doesn't look like it (indirectly from the either/or battery life figures given). We'll have to wait for the user manual to be available I guess.

@Fluffy I wonder too, but they seem to have independent amplification. On the other hand, it's the whole implementation that matters. I don't know if two chips with equivalent theoretical performance present different challenges for the associated amplifier...
 

raif71

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Seems like a product that let the user pick and choose which DAC sound signature the user feels good at the moment, hmmm :D
 

majingotan

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Seems like a product that let the user pick and choose which DAC sound signature the user feels good at the moment, hmmm :D

More like difference in the analog output stage rather than a DAC sound signature based on the graph and the SINAD performance if we are to believe their stated specs

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